


The Butterfly Paradox

by Crazy_Pairing_Person



Series: The Butterfly Chronicles [2]
Category: The Lion Guard (TV), The Lion King (1994)
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Drama, M/M, Memory Loss, Romance, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-23 16:16:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6122179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy_Pairing_Person/pseuds/Crazy_Pairing_Person
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Since Kion didn't remember anything that happened between he and Janja, Simba had asked the hyena to act as if nothing had happened. But Janja's had enough of it, and now he's going to start trying to jog Kion's memory. After all, acting like nothing had happened would be a lot easier if <i>nothing had happened.</i></p><p>The sequel to 'The Butterfly Effect'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello readers! The sequel to The Butterfly Effect is now here! I hope you enjoy it!

Janja paced, uncertain of what he should do. It had now been two months since Kion had lost his memory, and he still had no recollection of all that they had shared. It had reached the point where he was no longer comfortable just waiting for Kion's memory to come back. He glanced out in the direction of the Pridelands, then back to his clan, who were blissfully unaware of what he intended to do.

_'I'll just be gone for a minute,'_ he told himself, and so he gracefully slipped away. He searched for an easily passable route into the Pridelands, and soon found one, following it as he carefully avoided being seen or heard.

Upon entering the Pridelands, he scanned the area, trying to figure out where Rafiki would be. As he looked, he heard something flapping, and then land next to him. He turned, and saw the Guard's keenest of sight, Ono.

"What are you doing here? If Kion sees you-"

"I know he hasn't remembered anything yet, and that's exactly why I'm here," Janja quickly cut him off. Ono stared at him in confusion, and Janja knew he needed to elaborate.

"I was going to go see Rafiki, and see if he could help me try to jog Kion's memory."

Ono seemed conflicted, but eventually sighed and started flapping his wings to hover above Janja.

"Follow me. I can lead you to Rafiki on a route where Kion definitely won't see you."

Janja happily accepted the help, and followed Ono, his eyes darting around, hoping he wouldn't be seen by anyone  _else_ either.

Thankfully, whenever Ono happened to see someone in their path, or just approaching their general area, he'd warn Janja so he could have time to hide in bushes or behind trees, or whatever was nearby. Soon, they were arriving at a large tree, where Janja assumed Rafiki resided.

"Rafiki! Janja is here to see you!" Ono said, trying not to be too loud. Rafiki swung himself down to the ground using the branches on the tree as leverage. He easily landed on his feet in front of Janja and Ono. He didn't seem to be paying a lot of attention to them, though.

"Um, I was wondering about Kion-"

"You want to know if there's a way to bring his memory back faster, yes?" Rafiki interrupted Janja, finally looking at the hyena and egret in front of him.

"Oh, um, well yes," Janja said sheepishly. Rafiki hummed in thought, turning his attention to the fruit he held.

"I suppose, at this point, you and the Guard could try telling him about the things he's forgotten. Perhaps he will then start to remember things on his own."

Janja looked at him skeptically. He somehow doubted it would be that easy, but it was all he had to go on, so he decided to give it a shot.

"Thanks," he said, with an awkward half-smile. Rafiki just waved his hand in a signal for them to leave him alone. Ono started to fly a bit over Janja and they headed off.

"So, do you want to go find Kion now?" Ono asked. Janja considered it for a moment, but before he could decide...

"Janja! What are you doing in the Pridelands?!"

Kion's yell caused Janja to freeze. Well, it seemed as though his decision was now made for him. He turned to face Kion, visibly flinching at the hostile expression on Kion's face.

Before Janja could come up with an answer, Ono flapped down in front of Kion.

"He wanted to bring you to Broken Rock for some reason. He wants you to come alone," he said quickly, and Janja was rather impressed by Ono's quick thinking. He gave Kion a nervous smile, while Kion gave him a suspicious glance.

Kion leaned down to whisper something to Ono, and then faced Janja.

"Alright, I'll come with you. Make it quick, though," he said. Janja wasn't shocked, since he figured he'd probably just told Ono to follow them at a distance and keep an eye on them.

Janja led the way to Broken Rock, his heart beating faster at the thought of their old meeting place. Thinking of that, he ran faster, and Kion sped up in an attempt to keep up with him.

They soon arrived, and Janja jumped down to the very spot where he would always wait for Kion. He turned to watch Kion jump down after him, looking around in suspicion before settling his gaze on him.

"Well? Why'd you bring me here?"

Janja took a deep breath.

"To try and jog your memory," he said, giving Kion a soft smile that seemed to shock the lion for a moment.

"How did you know I have amnesia?"

"Because you forgot everything that you and I had been through!"

Kion took a step back, his eyes wide in confusion.

"What?" he said in complete disbelief. He looked around before letting his eyes fall back to Janja.

"Kion, we-" Janja cut himself off. How to best start the story, he wondered.

Then he remembered, the perfect starting point.

He gave Kion a smile, and signaled for him to sit, feeling that this would be a long story. Kion gave him a suspicious glance, but apparently decided to trust him as he sat.

"To begin with, I'll start from the one small thing that began it all. I'll start with the butterfly," Janja said, as he sat in front of Kion, his gaze soft and loving. Kion only seemed to be skeptical and bored as Janja began to explain all that had happened.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Janja had finished explaining the story of what he and Kion had been through, Kion looked as though he thought Janja had completely lost his mind.

"You're insane," Kion said, confirming that thought. Janja sighed. He hadn't expected Kion to remember everything right from the start, but a tiny part of him  _had_ hoped.

"Kion, please. Don't you remember, doesn't any of it sound remotely familiar?" he asked. Kion blinked at him, but instead of arguing about it like Janja had thought, he glanced around, looking and taking in their surroundings. Finally, he shook his head.

"No."

Kion's voice was a lot kinder when he said it though, and Janja grinned, happy he had that small victory at least.

"Can I go now?" Kion asked, not unkindly. Janja nodded, figuring someone was looking for him at that point. He watched Kion leap and run away, back into the Pridelands. Then, he just sat there, looking around the area with a fond smile before heading home himself.

* * *

As Janja walked, he thought about how to best jog Kion's memory now. He seemed to understand that Janja was telling the truth, at least to an extent, judging by how his tone had changed at the end of their visit. He just didn't  _remember_ anything yet.

But if he didn't start remembering it soon, Simba and the Guard would act as though it hadn't happened, at least around Kion. That would leave Janja as the only one who acted like he remembered everything. Because he  _did_ , even though the others knew basically what had happened, they didn't know everything.

They still didn't know about the butterflies. Janja swore he never loved butterflies more than in those moments when he remembered that none of it would have happened if not for the butterfly that he had chased.

He considered that thought, lingering on it. If he hadn't chased the butterfly, he wouldn't be so heartbroken at the moment. He wondered if, were someone to give him the option to change it, would he have taken it all away?

Janja remembered those smiles, those laughs that Kion had given him. The conversations they had about normal, day to day things, and yet they were things they couldn't have talked about in public. He remembered how Kion had cried happy tears when he had confirmed that their relationship was romantic.

No, he decided. He would never take any of that back. Even with the heartache he felt now, the fact that Kion's memory could come back soon, or at all, the fact that they could have all that again was enough for him.

Kion's memory  _would_ come back. Janja would make sure of that.

With newfound determination, he arrived home, all ready to plan out the next memory he would use to remind Kion of their relationship.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, anyone reading this probably is here from my tumblr, but in case you're not I want you to know that you can go there and request stuff from me if you want to.
> 
> queencrazyships.tumblr.com
> 
> Also, I wanted to say this earlier but I keep forgetting: I personally think Janja is like 2 or 3 years older than Kion (definitely no older than 4 years difference). Like I personally think Kion is probably 11-12 and Janja is like 14-15, though that's converting animal ages into human years. >_>

"Janja? You're back again?" Kion asked, his eyes narrowed and his voice confused. Janja smiled innocently, and Kion scoffed. Janja was just on the border between the Outlands and the Pridelands, ready to head back into the Outlands if things went bad.

"What did your Guard say when you told them where you were yesterday?" Janja asked out of curiosity. But honestly, he just wanted to see if Kion  _had_ told anyone.

"I didn't tell them," Kion replied, seeming a bit standoffish. Janja smirked.

"Just like you didn't tell them before," he observed, and Kion just rolled his eyes.

"I still don't understand exactly what happened to cause any supposed relationship between you and me."

Janja smiled softly. Kion stared at him in confusion.

"I was chasing a butterfly, 'cause I was hungry, and any food's good food in the Outlands. I chased it, all the way into the Pridelands, where you happened to see me. And I told you  _why_ I was chasing the butterfly - That there wasn't anything else to eat in the Outlands. And you got  _worried_ about the hyenas, Kion. You got worried about  _me_."

"Still don't understand," Kion said, not meeting Janja's eyes.

"You will. I'll make sure that you remember, because I don't want to be the only one here who can remember everything that happened. I love you, Kion. And I know that you love me too, even if you don't remember that you do."

Kion was silent, and Janja sighed. He turned to head back into the Outlands, but Kion suddenly spoke.

"I _want_ to remember."

Janja turned, eyes wide with hope as he saw Kion shyly staring at the ground. He grinned at how  _adorable_ Kion was.

"You do?"

"Well, I mean, you _seem_ to be telling the truth, and it's... What you're saying _sounds_ right, at least, but, I don't really- I just can't..."

Kion fumbled, trying to explain. Janja smiled.

"You can't really grasp it. Everything's starting to become clear with what I've been telling you, but it's all still too fuzzy and dark," Janja said, a knowing smile on his face. Kion nodded, impressed that Janja had summed up how he was feeling so well.

"How'd you know to word it like that?"

Janja chuckled.

"Because I got to know you pretty well in those several weeks, Kion. Just because you've forgotten doesn't mean I ever will."

Kion returned the smile Janja gave, albeit a bit awkwardly. Still, it was the first smile Janja had gotten from him in a long time, and it made him feel as though he was floating. He stepped a bit closer, still being careful not to get too close. He had to take this slow.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

Kion's face fell into an expression of confusion as he processed it.

"Tomorrow?"

"Of course. I told you, I'm going to make sure you remember. So, do you want to meet tomorrow?" Janja asked. He watched with a smile as Kion considered it.

"Sure. Why not?" Kion said, making Janja's smile stretch into a grin. Before he could stop himself, he got close to Kion and nuzzled his cheek.

"See you then."

He ran off into the Outlands, before Kion could have a chance to process what had just happened.

As he watched Janja leave, Kion barely noticed a smile stretching across his own face.

* * *

 

That night, Janja couldn't get to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking of what Kion had said.

_"I want to remember."_

He sighed as the words echoed in his head, again. There was no way he'd be getting any sleep like this. He stood up, and decided to head over to Broken Rock, for old times' sake.

It didn't take him long to arrive, since he knew shortcuts to the place by heart at this point. As he got closer, he suddenly sniffed the air. There was someone there, and he knew who it was. He'd know that scent anywhere. As his old meeting place with Kion quickly came into view, he saw the most adorable thing he'd ever witnessed at that point.

Kion was curled up against one of the rocks, fast asleep. Janja wondered for a moment if he had purposefully come and slept here, or if he'd sleepwalked here somehow. He came close to Kion and gently shook him awake.

"Kion, wake up."

"Five more minutes," Kion mumbled, searching for the sudden warmth that Janja was giving him. Janja resisted the urge to laugh.

"Kion, you shouldn't even be sleeping here," he said. Kion blinked his eyes open, slowly becoming aware that he wasn't sleeping at home. He looked up and saw Janja there, standing over him.

"Why am I at Broken Rock?" Kion asked, traces of sleep still in his voice. Janja smiled when he saw Kion yawn, taking a few more seconds to silently think about how cute he was before speaking.

"I don't know. I just found you here, asleep against the rock."

Kion blinked, thinking about what Janja just said before he seemed to realize.

"I remember. I couldn't sleep at home, and I thought about coming here. I figured that if what you'd told me was true, I could remember it better if I came here at night."

Janja blinked, and smiled.

"Well? Did you remember anything?"

"No. I just got really sleepy, and I felt so comfortable being here that I just fell asleep, I guess," Kion said, glancing away, as if he somehow knew that some part of him still remembered their relationship. Janja smiled at that, and caught Kion's eye before speaking.

"You can go back to sleep if you want. I'll stay here and wake you up when the sun's up."

Kion paused, as if considering that offer.

"Only if you tell me why  _you_ came here."

"Fair enough. I couldn't really sleep either, and I decided to come here, kinda like you did. Except without the memory loss," Janja said, not hesitating at all. He didn't really care, after all Kion used to be the shy one in their relationship, up until that time right before he'd fallen into the river. That time, the roles had been reversed, with Janja being the nervous one and Kion being the brave, confident one as he stared his father right in the eye.

Kion still was the shy one though, now that Janja thought about it, and he chuckled. Kion gave him a strange look but decided not to ask what was going through his mind. He laid back down against the rock, closing his eyes slowly. Janja laid next to him and snuggled up close. He saw Kion open one eye to stare at him for a moment, before just going along with it and closing his eye again.

Janja almost fell asleep after that, but since he'd promised that he would wake Kion up, he busied himself with looking around the area. It all looked so familiar, but when he looked down at Kion again, he found that to be much more entertaining. He watched the rise and fall of the lion's chest as he breathed slowly, he watched how Kion's eyes twitched under his eyelids. Probably dreaming, he guessed. He smiled, hoping that maybe Kion was dreaming of a memory they had shared, perhaps something to fill in the blanks. He'd certainly take any help he could get with that.

At some point, Kion must have decided that he wasn't warm enough, because he started to lean away from the rock and more against Janja. He tried to stay still, not wanting to wake him. He just kept watching, waiting for the sun to peek over the horizon, and hoping it wouldn't come too soon.


	4. Chapter 4

"Janja?"

The hyena hummed, acknowledging Kion. The sun was high, and he and Kion sat on a rock, located close to the Outlands but still set in the Pridelands.

"Did anyone else know about... You know?" Kion asked. He almost never wanted to say it, still a bit shy and disbelieving about the whole matter. Janja didn't mind much, and he considered his answer.

"The other hyenas in my clan, Ono, your dad, the other Guard members, and Rafiki. In the order that they found out, as far as I know."

Kion thought about that for a minute. They sat in silence, enjoying the slight breeze and the peace that the Pridelands gave. It was different than what Janja was used to, that was for certain.

"How'd your hyenas find out?" Kion asked quietly, seeming hesitant to disrupt the peace.

"I told 'em. They didn't care much, unlike your dad."

Kion nodded in response, then paused.

"My dad was the only one who cared?"

"Yeah. Even Ono was feelin' guilty after he told your dad," Janja replied. Kion stared at Janja in shock.

"Ono  _told_ my dad?!"

"We're not goin' through this again!" Janja said in exasperation. Kion huffed and turned away, muttering under his breath. To Janja's relief though, the sky stayed blue and clear, so he had no worries about a repeat of what had happened last time Kion found out about Ono telling Simba.

After a few more minutes Kion started to gripe out loud.

"I can't believe he did that, though. I mean I saw him that night and I said to him, 'Don't tell anyone you saw me', and that's not really the same and he didn't verbally agree but it still-"

"Kion!"

He jumped when Janja yelled, and turned to look at him in confusion.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You just said you saw Ono the night he told your father!"

It took him a minute, but Kion quickly realized what Janja meant.

"I remembered something!" he said, jumping up. Janja laughed, tackling Kion into the grass. Kion laughed with him as they rolled around in the excitement. Some animals nearby looked at them, but they didn't pay much heed. Ono happened to see them though, and soon he and the rest of the Guard approached them.

"What's going on with you guys?" Bunga asked, looking at them as though they had gone insane. When they managed to stop laughing, Kion sat up with a grin.

"I remembered something! It wasn't like it was big, but-"

"That's amazing, Kion!" Ono said, and Kion's grin fell and he looked away. Janja snickered when Ono gave him a confused glance.

"Sadly for you, he remembered about how you told his dad about our relationship."

Ono let out a high-pitched whine, and the others laughed.

Janja gently nuzzled Kion, and Kion returned the affectionate gesture. Now that Kion had remembered something, at least partially on his own, that gave him hope. He thought of so many other things that Kion could remember soon, bit by bit. And while that happened, they could just continue right where they had left off.

There was one other matter, though.

* * *

 

Kion, Janja and Simba met in Pride Rock that evening. Simba looked at them, unsure of who was really more happy about their meeting - Kion or Janja.

"Kion, I understand you've regained some of your memories."

"Well, it was only  _one_ , but Janja's helping me. I really do believe him and I want to remember everything he's telling me about," Kion replied. He gave a shy smile to Janja, and the hyena's heart felt warm as he returned it.

"I hope you do remember, son. I am sorry, since, in a way, it's my fault you forgot everything in the first place," Simba said. It was clear that he truly felt as though he were to blame. Kion didn't reply, nor did Janja. Janja didn't exactly forgive Simba for condemning their relationship, but he knew that Kion's memory loss wasn't really his fault either. Kion simply didn't know whether he  _should_ forgive his dad, because he simply couldn't recall exactly what had happened.

"Moving on, your majesty, there was the conversation you and I had before Kion had woken up," Janja reminded. Kion looked at him in confusion, and Simba nodded.

"That's right. Kion, I was wondering how you would feel if I allowed Janja to live here, in the Pridelands? The other hyenas in his clan would have to stay in the Outlands, but perhaps we can work something out for them to visit every so often," Simba explained. Kion stared at his father in shock, then turned to Janja excitedly.

"You knew about this?!"

"Yeah. But it's not like you liked me all that much when you first woke up," Janja said, grinning when he saw how excited Kion was. The younger lion turned to his dad, grinning.

"C'mon! Let Janja live here, dad!"

Simba laughed as Kion bounced in excitement, and Janja simply gazed at him fondly. Kion suddenly tackled Janja, nuzzling as they both started to laugh. Simba smiled at the sight, pleased that he had made the right choice for his son's happiness.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last chapter. I've been kinda debating with myself over continuing it but I've decided to wrap it up. It was that or toss Janja into a river and I already promised a friend I wouldn't do that. So I'm just gonna wrap things up in a little happy ribbon. (And also tip my hat to two of my other fave ships)
> 
> No there's not going to be another sequel. Imagine what happens after this point, if you want. (Though I'm sure you'll be able to guess)

Things soon adjusted to the new setup in the Pridelands. Janja was an unofficial member of the Guard, it was never spoken, it was just a simple fact. He helped on the patrols, he offered ideas and solutions, and later, extremely later, the other animals were more comfortable around he and the other hyenas.

Since Janja no longer lived with his clan, he had placed Cheezi as the new leader. He easily fell into the role of a lovable but firm leader. He and Chungu visited when there was nothing for them to do. Another unspoken, simple fact, was when Cheezi and Chungu fell in love. Janja seemed to be the least surprised, and he would be, considering he had spent the most time around them.

Kion slowly, ever so slowly, gained his memories back. Janja dreaded when he would recall when Janja had attempted to cut things off, with no context of what happened before or after. Kion never mentioned when or if he did, though. No one really knew if Kion had remembered but not said anything, or if it was somehow repressed into his subconscious, where he wouldn't remember it for his entire life. Either way, Janja was grateful, albeit cautious.

With Kion and Janja being together, it soon became easy for Kiara to not hide her own relationship with Kovu. He was one of the lions who didn't live in the Pridelands, and Kiara made a very convincing argument in that Kovu was both a lion and her opposite gender. With the offended look Kion had when she said that, Janja worried that those terrifying clouds would show up and strike someone down. All that happened, thankfully, was Kion muttering under his breath.

It should also be noted that, what was soon referred to as the 'river incident' gave Janja an extreme fear of thunderstorms. He didn't quite get over it, and for a while he wouldn't help the Guard until the storm was over. No one really blamed him, because they often tried not to anger Kion themselves after what had happened.

Also, don't think that just because the hyenas were now allies of sorts, things were easier to handle. With the hyenas no longer helping the vultures, they ended up attacking even more often, as some sort of revenge against them. It was usually easy to fight them off, since Janja could easily spot Mzingo's old tactics and plan things with the Guard to stop him. There was also the matter of the jackals. Without the hyenas, the vultures eventually sought out new allies, and the jackals agreed easily enough. They would usually end up backstabbing them if things went wrong, of course, but the fact remained that they often helped each other. In a sense, the hyenas had been replaced by the jackals.

It took quite a long time before the other animals fully trusted Janja, yet Kion wouldn't fault them for it. It wasn't as if he had forgotten all that had happened in the past, he simply knew that Janja had changed for the better and that everything that had happened was entirely behind him. It was when someone would speak of the past as if it was the present that seemed to irk him the most.

As for Kion and Janja's relationship, it did have its flaws, no more than any other relationship. But if you asked any other member of the Guard, they would all say that they had never seen Kion happier than when he was with Janja. And Janja was quite affectionate, though he didn't often go out of his way to  _say_ sweet things, he showed his love for Kion in the small things he did. From sleeping near him on cold nights, the smile on his face and the laughter he'd let out every time Kion told him of a new memory, to the soft, faraway look in his eyes whenever he'd see a butterfly and remember how this whole thing began. And every little thing he did in between, all of it told everyone more than what could be said with words.

* * *

 

"Hey, Janja. What're you staring at?" Kion asked, approaching Janja under a tree. Janja simply motioned for Kion to look where he was looking. So he did, and they watched as a butterfly hatched out of a cocoon, both of them with growing smiles as it slowly came out and spread its wings.

"It's really pretty, isn't it?" Kion said softly.

"Beautiful," Janja said, and he nuzzled Kion affectionately. Kion let out a laugh as he returned the gesture.

"What if that butterfly goes and flies in someone else's path?" Janja said, looking at it with a small smirk. Kion laughed again and swatted Janja playfully.

"Not everyone can be as lucky as us. C'mon, let's go meet Cheezi and Chungu."

As they walked away, in another part of the Pridelands, the very edge where Kion had found Janja chasing the butterfly, Bunga walked, tossing a baobab fruit up and down, catching it in his claws only to toss it again. He let out a bored sigh as he walked. He wondered if one of the other members of the Guard would want to play with him, since things seemed pretty dull at the moment. As he thought about who to ask, he suddenly tripped over something - Or, someone - in his path.

"Gah! Watch where you're going!" Bunga cried. As he stood up, he saw who he had tripped over, sprawled on the ground.

"Dogo? What were you doing here?"

Dogo gave him a grin as he hopped up, his eyes sparkling excitedly.

"I was chasing a butterfly!"


End file.
